The design of this invention came from having to remove "trash", old shingles, scraps, and waste material etc. from the tops of roofs that are new or being redone.
In order to do this efficiently a device was needed that could work in a forward sweeping motion, like that of a kitchen broom, allowing a person to rake in the direction in which one is facing, so as not to have to put one's back to the edge of the roof.
A conventional leaf type rake (which is currently being used in this manner) is difficult to use due to the fact that a conventional type leaf rake is designed to reach out and pull to one's self, putting one's back in the direction one is raking.
In order to rake facing the edge of the roof I discovered that I had to get the teeth of the rake working in a forward direction. The handle would have to be curved in such a way so that the teeth are setting evenly to the surface beside me, facing in the same direction as myself.
So I put a forty-five degree angle a few inches from one end of a piece of light weight pipe (conduit) about six feet long, and mounted two metal rake heads from a conventional type leaf rake back to back from one another on the end of the pipe with the curve.
In order to get the rake to work in a sweeping motion, I put another curve in the other end of the pipe, going in the opposite direction of the curve at the rake head end of the pipe, giving it an oblong "S" shape. At that end of the rake I shoved a rubber hand grip (such as that on a bicycle) onto it.
In order to operate this invention in a sweeping type motion toward the direction one is facing, I place one hand on the handle grip and the other hand at about the middle of the pipe between each curve, pushing forward with the hand in the middle and pulling back with the hand on the hand grip at the end of the handle, causing the rake head end of the rake to move forward in a sweep motion.
In order to use the rake on one's right side or left side, I made the rake head out of two conventional leaf type rake heads, mounting them back to back to one another giving this invention two rows of teeth protruding out from the main rake head member in an opposite direction from one another.